Portable well drilling structure



March 30, 1954 H. J. wooLsLAYER ETAL 2,673,629

PORTABLE WELL DRILLING STRUCTURE Filed Oct. 18, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 B aww I. w I/M Tum mma/W5 March 30, 1954 Filed OCT.. 18, 1952 H. J. wooLsLAYER ET Al.

PORTABLE WELL DRILLING STRUCTURE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 uw mwzm THE/R )Qn-anu sys Patented Mar. 30, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PORTABLE WELL DRILLING STRUCTURE Homer J. Woolslayer and Cecil Jenkins, Tulsa, Okla., and Erwin A. Campbell, Wexford, Pa., assignors to Lee C. Moore Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pa., a. corporation of Pennsylvania Application October 18, 1952, Serial No. 315,448

4 Claims. l

This invention relates to oil well drilling structures or derricks, and more particularly to a hinged mast permanently mounted on a portable base.

It is among the objects of this invention to provide a compact portable derrick structure in which the mast is raised and supported by a folding toggle brace, in which the mast can be swung down to form a compact unit suitable for transportation from well to well, and in which supplemental means are provided for use in the initial stage of erection.

ln accordance with this invention, a reclining mas-t extends lengthwise over a portable base vfith the foot of the mast located above the front end of the base, where it is hinged. A folded reclining toggle brace, formed from a pair of superimrosed links, is located between the base and the mast and extends lengthwise of the latter. The upper link has its front end pivoted to the mast and its rear end connected to the rear end of the lower link by hinging means. Means on the base behind the mast-supporting means pivotally supports the front end of the lower link. A lower sheave is carried by the reclining mast near the front of the toggle brace. Above this sheave is an upper sheave which is supported by means projecting from the base. A third sheave is mounted in front of the upper sheave, preferably in the mast. A raising line, connected to the toggle brace near its hinge, extends forward beneath the lower sheave and then up and forward over the upper sheave and then around the third sheave. This line is adapted to be pulled towards the head of the mast in order to lift the lower sheave to start the mast swinging upward. As soon as the toggle brace has opened far enough, the raising line will start to pull the rear ends of the toggle links forward to straighten the brace so that it will swing the mast up and forward to upright position. By locating the hinging means at the front of the toggle brace, the pressure of the upright mast against the straightened brace will press the adjoining ends of the toggle links behind the hinging means against each other to hold the brace straight. It is also desirable to provide means at the back of the straightened brace for detachably connecting the abutting ends of the links together to lock the brace in its straight position.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side view of our drilling structure ready for transportation to a new location or for elevation of the mast to operative position;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the mast starting to rise;

Fig. 3 is a side view showing the mast fully raised and in operative position;

Fig. 4 is a front view of the raised mast; and

Fig. 5 is a rear view of the toggle brace taken on the line V-V of Fig. 3.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings, an oil well mast base I is shown which can be skidded from one location to another or placed on a trailer for transportation. In fact, the base can be the permanent bed of the trailer if desired. Mounted on this base a few feet from one end is the usual rotary table 2, which is driven from the drawworks 3 and engines l resting on the central portion of the base. The rotary table end of the base will be referred to herein as the front end. Mounted on the base in front and at the sides of the rotary table is a superstructure 6 forming an elevated support that extends a considerable distance above the level of the top of the drawworkg and engines. The upper end of the superstructure is pivotally connected to the feet 'l of a reclining mast that extends substantially horizontally back across the drawworks and engines and rests on a support 8 mounted on the back end of the base. The superstructure must be tall enough to allow the mast to pass over the drawworks and engines, but no taller than permitted by highway load limitations. The front legs lil of the mast, which are at the upper side of the reclining mast, are connected by suitable conventional bracing to thel rear legs Il which are at the lower side of the reclining mast. The rear legs need not extend to the foot of the mast, but terminate near the rear end of the drawworks at what is called the heel of the mast. They are connected by inclined braces l2 to feet l.

Behind the engines there is an upright frame'- work It which is mounted on the base. The upper end of this framework is about on a level with the top of the drawworks and pivotally supports the foot or lower end of a toggle brace 55 for lifting and bracing the mast. When the mast is down, this brace is folded. It is formed from upper and lower links l5 and l'l which are connected by a hinge i3 at their rear ends. The front end of the lower link is pivotally connected to the top of framework I4, while the front end of the upper link is pivotally connected at I9 to the reclining mast, such as at lower legs Il a few feet from the heelof the .3, mast. As shown in Fig. 5, the links are framelike structures wider than the mast.

A traveling block 2l inside the mast is connected by the usual drilling line 22 with the crown block 23 and with the drawworks drum 24. The hook 26 of the traveling block is hooked onto a lifting sling 21 that is formed from aline or cable doubled on itself. The sides of the sling extend forward in the mast and out around a pair of sheaves 28 journaled near its foot, preferably in its opposite sides. From these sheaves the sling extends back outside the mast and down over a pair of upper sheaves 30 which are journaled in the top of a pair of frames 3l mounted on the base on opposite sides of the mast in front of framework I4. Sheaves 3D should be located as high as possible, but no higher than the reclining mast. From these sheaves, the sling extends down in front of a pair of lower sheaves 32 which are journaled in opposite sides of the mast, preferably at about the location of its heel, and far enough from foot l to pass directly behind upper sheaves 33 when the mast is raised. The sling extends from lower sheaves 32 back to connections on the toggle brace near its hinge. Preferably, the connections consist of vertical plates 33 welded to the opposite sides of the rear end of the upper link near the toggle hinge.

When it is desired to raise the mast, the drawworks drum is rotated to cause the drilling line to pull the traveling block and sling toward the crown block. It will be seen from Fig. l that it would require a tremendous amount of tension on the sling line to start to pull toggle hinge I8 toward the foot of the mast with the weight of the reclining mast resting on the toggle brace. Although this could be relieved to some extent by pivoting the upper end of the brace to the upper legs of the mast so that the links would be spread more from the start, it is preferred to spread the links in the manner shown here, which is by lifting lower sheaves 32 by means of the sling. Thus, as shown in Fig. 2, when the sling is pulled it attempts to straighten itself between front sheaves 28 and toggle plates 33, which lifts lower sheaves 32 and the mast. The rising mast opens the toggle brace far enough for the brace to become effective as a lifting element, whereupon the sling pulls the toggle hinge forward and thereby straightens the brace. In straightening, the toggle brace necessarily pushes the mast up and forward. The brace is of such length that when it is straight the mast will be in the upright operative position shown in Fig. 3.

By locating the brace hinge at the front of the toggle brace, the adjoining ends of the two links behind the hinge will come together when the brace is straight and prevent it from being pulled forward past its straight position. This arrangement also serves to help hold the brace straight, because the hinge is in front of the central longitudinal plane of the brace and therefore must pass through dead center, with the brace ends behind it in abutting relationship. The weight or pressure of the mast lengthwise of the brace will hold the brace stable so that the links will not swing backward. To prevent accidental disturbing of this stability, the adjoining ends of the toggle links can be locked together by providing them with rearwardly projecting parallel plates 34 which are perforated to receive bolts 35.

The raising procedure is just reversed in lowering the mast, except that the hinged portion ci. they toggle brace must first be pulled rearwarda shortl distance to break the toggle. This can be done, after most of the slack has been taken out of the sling and bolts 35 have been removed, by means of the cat line 31 shown in broken lines in Fig. 3, or by a line connected to a truck winch behind the base. When the toggle hinge is pulled back past dead center the weight of the mast will tend to continue the motion, which is controlled by slowly unreelng the drilling line from the drawworks drum until the mast reaches an inclined position a little above that shown in Fig. 2'. At that time the sling comes down on upper sheaves 30, and lower sheaves 32 descend onto the sling in front of the upper sheaves. Thereupon the sheaves start to exert a restraining influence on the descent of the mast. As upper link I6 approaches alignment with the pivoted foot of the mast, the restraining effect of the toggle brace disappears and the entire load is carried by upper sheaves 30 and their supportingframes 3|.

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, we have explained the principle of our invention and have illustrated and described what we now consider to represent its best embodiment. However, we desire to have it understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described.

We claim:

l. A portable well drilling structure comprising a base having front and rear ends, a reclining mast extending lengthwise of the base and having a head and a foot, the foot of the reclining mast being located above the front end of the base, means on the base for pivotally supporting the foot of the mast, a folded reclining lifting toggle brace between the base and the mast and extending lengthwise thereof, the toggle brace being formed from an upper link having its front end pivoted to the mast and its rear end connected to the rear end of a lower link by hinging means, means on the base behind said mast-supporting means pivotally supporting the front end of said lower link, a lower sheave carried by the reclining mast near the front of the toggle brace, an upper sheave above said lower sheave, means on the base supporting said upper sheave, a third sheave mounted in front of said upper sheave, and a raising line connected to the toggle brace near its hinging means and extending forward beneath said lower sheave and then up and forward over said upper sheave andthen around said third sheave, said line being adapted to be pulled toward the head of the mast to first lift said lower sheave and then pull the rear ends of the rising links forward to straighten the toggle brace in order to swing the mast up and forward to upright position.

2. A portable well drilling structurev comprising a base having front and rear ends, a reclining mast extending lengthwise of the base and having a head and a foot, the foot of the reclining mast being located above the front end of the base, means on the base for pivotally supporting the foot of the mast, a folded reclining lifting toggle brace between the base and the mast and extending lengthwise thereof, the toggle brace being formed from an upper link having its front end pivoted to the mast and its rear end connected to the rear end of a lower link by hinging means, means on the base behind said mast-supporting means pivotally supporting the. front' end' of said lower link',u a lower sheave carried by the reclining mast near the front of the toggle brace, an upper sheave above said lower sheave, means on the base supporting said upper sheave, a third sheave carried by the reclining mast in front of said upper sheave, drawworks mounted on the base beneath the reclining mast, a raising line connected to the toggle brace near its hinging means and extending forward beneath said lower sheave and then up and forward over said upper sheave and then around said third sheave, a cable extending from said drawworks to the head of the mast and then back through the mast to said raising line for pulling the latter, whereby to first lift said lower sheave and then pull the rear ends of the rising links forward to straighten the toggle brace in order to swing the mast up and forward to upright position, and detachable means for holding the toggle brace straight for bracing the upright mast.

3. A portable well drilling structure comprising a base having front and rear ends, a reclining mast extending lengthwise of the base and having a head and a foot, the foot of the reclining mast being located above the front end of the base, means on the base for pivotally supporting the foot of the mast, a folded reclining lifting toggle brace between the base and the mast and extending lengthwise thereof, the toggle brace being formed from an upper link having its front end pivoted to the mast and its rear end connected to the rear end of a lower link by hinging means, means on the base behind said mast-supporting means pivotally supporting the front end of said lower link, a pair of lower sheaves carried by the opposite sides of the reclining mast in front of the toggle brace, an upper sheave above each of said lower sheaves, means on the base supporting said upper sheaves, a pair of sheaves mounted in opposite sides of the mast in front of said upper sheaves, a sling fastened to opposite sides of the toggle brace near its hinging means and extending forward beneath said lower sheaves and then up and forward over said upper sheaves and then around the remaining pair of sheaves and into the mast, and a cable connected with the sling inside the mast for pulling it toward the head of the mast to first lift said lower sheaves and then pull the rear ends of the rising links forward to straighten 5 the toggle brace in order to swing the mast up and forward to upright position.

4. A portable Well drilling structure comprising a base having front and rear ends, a reclining mast extending lengthwise of the base and having a head and a foot, the foot of the reclining mast being located above the front end of the base, means on the base for pivotally supporting the foot of the mast, a folded reclining lifting toggle brace between the base and the mast and extending lengthwise thereof, the toggle brace being formed from an upper link having its front end pivoted to the mast and its rear end connected to the rear end of a lower link f by hinging means, means on the base behind said mast-supporting means pivotally supporting the front end of said lower link, a lower sheave carried by the reclining mast near the front of the toggle brace, an upper sheave above said lower sheave, means on the base supporting said upper sheave, a third sheave mounted in front of said upper sheave, a raising line connected to the toggle brace near its hinging means and extending forward beneath said lower sheave and then up and forward over said upper sheave and then around said third sheave, said line being adapted to be pulled toward the head of the mast to rst lift said lower sheave and then pull the rear ends of the rising links forward to straighten the toggle brace in order to swing the mast up and forward to upright position, said hinging means being located at the front of the straightened brace with the adjoining link ends behind the hinging means pressed toward each other to prevent the hinging means from swinging farther forward.

HOMER J. WOOLSLAYER.

CECIL JENKINS.

ERWIN A. CAMPBELL.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

